Holding On, and Letting Go
by obliviousworlds
Summary: Dean gets the call when he's walking out of a conveniant store in Californie "Dean? This is Jess. Sam's girlfriend. Sam's sick, like really sick." Oneshot! Sick!Sam worried!caring!Dean. pre series.


Dean gets the call when he's walking out of a conveniant store in California at eleven p.m. He feels his phone buzz in his pocket and he's a little shocked to see Sam's name on the caller ID. Sam hasn't called since he left for Stanford almost six months ago...

"Hello?" Dean says into the phone when he flips it open. Of course he expects to hear Sammy's voice but that's not who it is at all.

"Hello? Is this Dean?" A rather femenine voice says on the other line. Dean loses his voice for a second and it feels like his throat is closing up. Is she calling to tell him somethings happened to Sam? This is why dad never wanted him to leave in the first place...

"Y-yeah." Dean finally stutters out. _Oh god Sammy._

"This is Jessica, Sam's girlfriend and well...he's sick. Like really sick. He's got a high fever and he's tossing and turning in the bed and keeps calling out for you." She explains to him.

Dean almost sighs of relief that nothing too bad has happened to his little brother. "Yeah he's always spiked high fevers." He manages to tell her. He knows a little too much about all that stuff.

"Yeah? I don't know what to do. I'd take him to the ER but I can't get him there myself." She tells him and Dean can tell she's pretty scared. "Can you tell me what to do? LIke what you usually do for him?"

Dean let's his eyes narrow from where he's at. He doesn't feel comfortable telling someone how to take care of Sammy. No, that's his job. "Um...I'm about twenty minutes away from Stanford. How about I come help you with him?" He asks instead.

"Yeah okay. That's fine. Thanks Dean."

Dean hangs up and runs a hand through his hair. This isn't at all how he expected to see Sam again.

Jessica is more than welcome to let Dean in when he knocks on the door and actually gives him a smile of appreciation and leads him back to the bedroom. Dean's eyes widen when he sees how bad Sam really looks. He's tossing and turning on the bed, just as Jess had said and he keeps mumbling to himself, obviously not aware of what's going on.

"Hey Sammy." Dean says quietly and kneels down next to the bed and places a hand on his warm damp forehead. Sam immediately stills and calms down when he feels Dean's hand on his forehead.

"Yeah? I missed you too kiddo." Dean says softly and gives him a small smile. Jess smiles and is amazed at how calm Sam has become since Dean came in.

"What has he taken?" Dean asks and looks up at her, hand still resting on Sam's forehead.

"I couldn't get him to take anything. He just kept fighting me."

Dean nods and gets searches through his bag. He stepped back into the convenient store before he came over and picked up some stuff to help Sam feel better. He grabs a bottle of nyquil and asks her to pour a dose while he sits Sam up so he won't choke.

"Okay Sammy, open up." Dean whispers softly when he takes the cap back from Jess and holds it to his brother's mouth. He tips the medicine into his mouth when Sam does as he's told and laughs a little when Sam scrunches up his face from the taste.

"Still a little bitch when it comes to medicine huh, Sammy?" He whispers quietly before turning back to Jess. "Can you go wet some rags or something? In the coldest water possible, okay?"

She nods and walks out of the room and is instantly relieved that she has help with Sam tonight. She doesn't know what she'd do without Dean right now.

"Sam! Stop it!" Dean is saying when Sam stops fighting him when he wipes the cold rag across his face. Sam looks up at him with fever filled eyes and pushes against him again.

"Sam do you want me to put you over my knee in front of your girlfriend?" Dean asks and smiles when Jess laughs a little. "Hey. Your okay. Just relax." He adds with a calmer voice and rewets the rag in the little bin that Jess has filled up.

"Was he always like this?" Jess asks as she places the thermometer back in Sam's ear.

"Yeah, but it was easier to deal with when he was shorter than me." Dean says and smiles and cards his fingers through his hair.

Sam's temperature comes down a little and Dean and Jess know that's a good sign because Sam isn't fighting them as much anymore. He keeps mumbling though, but Dean can't exactly make it out.

"Easy." Dean hushes when Sam starts to cough. Jess fetches a glass of water and Dean is helping him sit up again so he can take small sips of the water Jess is holding to his mouth.

"J'ss." Sam mumbles and both of them hear it.

"Yeah Sam? I'm here." She says and places her hand on his arm.

"Call D'n...t'll him...'m s'rry." He mumbles out again.

"For what?" She asks and glances over at Dean. Sam isn't aware he's in the room.

"Leavin'...please..."

"Okay. I'll do it. Get some rest alright?"

Sam coughs hard again. So hard Dean can feel his whole body tremble against him and it fucking hurts _him _too hear it.

Dean's digging through his bag again and it taking out a tube of vicks vapor rub and is talking to Sam quietly as he opens it.

"D'n?" Sam mummbles and looks up at him, still not completely lucid.

Dean doesn't say anything as he rubs the stuff on Sam's throat and chest so it'll help him breathe easier. He lays him back against the pillows and tucks him in and sighs of relief when his eyes flutter close.

"Okay." Dean says and runs his hand through his hair. "He should sleep for the rest of the night."

Jess glances back up at him. "Will you stay the rest of the night? In case he gets worse? Your really good with him you know..."

Dean smiles at her and nods. "Yeah. I'll stay."

Jess falls asleep laying next to Sam and Dean nods off in the chair beside the bed but wakes up in the early morning when the sun is just peeking through the window. He looks back over at Sam and see's he's sweating, and fear hits hos stomach hard.

He sits on the side of the bed and places a hand back on his brother's forehead and sighs of relief. Cold Sweat. Sam's fever broke.

Sam shifts and turns over, still asleep into Dean's hold. Dean cradles him in his arm like he did when mom and dad first brought him home from the hospital, like he's a newborn all over again. He should be going now but this is hard.

Jess wakes and smiles when she see's how Dean is holding Sam and is smiling down at him.

"Is he okay?" She asks and slowly sits up.

"Yeah. His fever broke. I should get going now." He says and glances back up at her, then back down at Sam. _God he looks so innocent right now, _Dean is thinking. "I don't wanna leave you Sammy." He says and laughs a little.

"You can stay until he wakes up." Jess offers, but he shakes his head.

"Thanks but I should get going. He's fine now, he'll sleep for a while. Just...if he doesn't remember, don't tell him I was here. Please."

"Why?"

Dean looks back down at his little brother and bites his lip. He didn't know this would be so hard. "Just...please."

Jess knows Sam has problems with his family. Though he never talks about it, Jess can't do much but respect his privacy. She has to do that now with Dean as well.

"Okay." She says and nods.

Dean sighs and places a kiss to Sam's forehead and then lays him back down on the pillows and tucks him back in and stands up. He looks over at Jess with sad eyes

"this is hard you know? I've always been responsible for him. I pulled him from a fire when he was six months old and I always took care of him." Dean explains and glances back over at him. "I never expected to see him again this way, but it was nice to be the big brother again. I miss it."

Jess nods and gives him a little smile. "Thanks for coming Dean. I would have to take him to the ER if it weren't for you."

Dean smiles back. "Yeah. Sam and ER's don't go over to well. Trust me on that. I'll see you later, Jess."

She nods and walks him to the door and watches as he walks out towards his car and drives away before coming back in and closing the door.

Sam wakes up a few hours later, and Jess is laying next to him again.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" She asks and places a hand on his forehead, glad to find it cool.

"Like crap. What happened?" Sam rasps out and looks around.

"You spiked a fever. Was pretty touch and go for a while. You scared the hell out of me."

"Sorry." Sam tells her and gives a little smile. "Did you take care of me alone?" He asks quietly after a minute.

Jess thinks about what she should say, then remembers that she told Dean she wouldn't tell Sam that he was there helping her. She sighs and nods. "Yeah, why?"

Sam let's his eyes drop. "Nothing. I just...I could have swore Dean was here...guess I was pretty out of it." He says and closes his eyes again.

"Yeah..." Jess says and runs her fingers through his hair. "Guess you were."

* * *

**End.**


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